Red Sky
by greatlyexpected
Summary: Rory Gilmore and Jake Morgan were the best of friends. Tragedy strikes, throwing Rory into a group of new people. My first story. Bad Summary. PDLD, I think haven't really decided, so if you have any ideas!
1. Prologue: Nightmare

**AN: My first story. Hope you like the first chapter**

**Disclaimer : Don't own anything. I just Don't.**

Red Sky

Prologue: Nightmare

_After a deep breath, I slowly open my eyes. I find myself in a flowing white dress, surrounded by a sea of white roses, the only real color being my chestnut brown curls and my cerulean eyes. I look around and wonder why I was alone in such a beautiful place. And a small smile appears on my face. 'Was this what heaven looked like? And if so where were all the angels? Why was I…' my thoughts were interrupted by a low whimpering sound and the smile quickly faded into a frown. For the first time I see a boy in the distance, his back towards me and his head in his hands. He too is decked out in an all white ensemble._

_I slowly make my way through the path of roses and soon see that this boy is shaking. I quicken my pace and the closer I get the more this boy looks like "Jake", I whisper, as I reach out and touch his shoulder. I audibly gasp as he turns his head and I finally see the tears that are streaming down his face and the red stains that are blanketing the front of Jake's body. Panic filled my eyes as I frantically look for someone to help. I desperately scream hoping that maybe, someone, anyone, could hear me. I couldn't loose him. Not Jake. Not today. Not now. I soon realized that no one was coming and we were stuck in this no longer white wonderland. All at once the sky had turned red and the formerly white roses were now wilting or dead. Suddenly something that resembles a raindrop falls on my head, and it seems as if the raindrops would soon become my own flowing tears. But as I glance up toward the sky, I realize that this 'raindrop' was not a raindrop at all but rather a drop of blood. And soon blood pours from the sky and the boy disappears, the glamorous white dress, now blood soaked. And again I find my self alone. My breathing becomes ragged and my head becomes foggy, everything turns black and then I meet the floor. _

My eyes snap open. I quickly glance around the room, recognizing my dark blue bed sheets and my four green walls and I let out a shaky breath. A picture on my night stand catches my eye and I turn to pick it up. It was a picture of Jake and I about 3 months earlier. I'm sitting between his legs and leaning up against his strong chest. Our eyes are closed as he places a soft, gentle kiss on the top of my head. Together we looked so happy, but my thoughts soon returned to the thing that had woken me up in the first place.

What I thought would be a peaceful and serene dream in the beginning, had ended up being a devastatingly disturbing nightmare. What did this mean? And Jake, what happened to Jake? That sole thought played on repeat in my head. Was this a sign? I needed answers, so I threw the covers off of the bed and put an overly large sweatshirt on my scantily clad body. I hurried out the front door and across the street, running up the Morgan's front driveway. I ring the doorbell. Once. Twice. And as I go to ring the bell a third time, a sleepy and distraught looking Jake opens the front door. I throw my self into his arms. Jake, not expecting a greeting like this so early in the morning, stumbles back a little, but soon regains his balance and holds me tight. Soon he can feel the sogginess of my silent tears soaking through his shirt, and he uses his right hand to tilt my face up towards him.

"Love, Rory, what happened? Are okay? Is Lorelai okay?" Jake asked in a quiet, worried voice as he used his thumb to wipe the tears from my cheeks. I look up at him with sad eyes and ask him to promise he would always be there. That it would be me and him against the world and that he would never leave. He remains silent. I can feel the tears welling in my eyes again and I painfully look up, fearing his answer (if he even had an answer). This time I say "Promise me," like these two words were the only thing keeping me alive and I'm still struggling to hold back my tears. Slowly and almost inaudible he whispers "I promise." into my hair and a wave of relief hits me and I start to sob into his chest all over again.


	2. Radio

**AN: Here's the second chapter, I hope you like it. Did the best I could. I'm getting all these emails about the first chapter and it's really exciting. Thanks! PS. song at the bottom is Breathe Me by Sia.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just DON'T.**

Red Sky

Radio

**Rory**

Summer went by either extremely fast or painfully slow. I don't know. I've been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, that summer and everything else just kind of passed me by.

I had another heart wrenching nightmare about Jake exactly two weeks and three days after the first one. I haven't told anyone about the two nightmares yet, and I don't know if I'm strong enough to do it. Usually my mom and I tell each other everything (same goes for Jake) but every time I go to say something about it, my mouth opens and no words come out.

Jake had a good summer. I think. To tell the truth, I'm not really sure, I've kind of been ignoring him since the second nightmare. It was getting harder to look into his eyes and not imagine tears streaming down his face and his body covered in blood. So I tried to stay away as much as I could. He has a girlfriend now though and I'm pretty sure I heard his brother came to visit from school.

I turn the radio on, and try to figure out what the hell is going on with me. Why am I having these nightmares about Jake? Why is this happening to _me_? Why now? I don't understand.

A scary thought fills my head and I pray to God that all of these things are just a figment of imagination. I wish that our world would go back to being a happy and peaceful place and that nothing bad could _ever _happen. To Jake. Or to my mom. Not just for them, but for me, because if something _did_ happen, I don't know if I could handle it.

I let my head fall to the side and I stare at the picture on my night stand. We looked so happy. In this picture, everything seemed simpler, even if it had only been a few months ago. I wish that things would just go back to the way they were. I wouldn't have these stupid nightmares. My heart wouldn't break a little, every time I hear the name Jake. And I wouldn't feel guilty for not talking to him. Things would be _better_. We would be _happy. _But now things will never be the same. With this final thought, I turn my head and try to get at least an hour or two of sleep, which I was pretty sure wasn't going to happen. The radio was still quietly playing in the background.

**Jake**

I'm staring at my bedroom ceiling and the radio's on, and I can't help but wonder what I did wrong. Why was Rory avoiding me? She denies it, but I _know_ something's not right. From the morning she came to my doorstep and broke down in my arms to two weeks later, she'd been acting strange. Then after that she just stopped talking to me all together. She won't even look me in the eye, and I can't handle it anymore.

This has been one of the worst summers of my entire life. My family's falling apart and I feel like I have no one to turn to. My mother and father have been fighting constantly, and my brother, Finn, is always with his friends, drunk, getting drunk, or getting laid by some random girl. I have a girlfriend now though, not that it matters, she's never around anyway.

But Rory. God! Rory was the one person I _knew_ would always be there. I guess I was wrong. And I can try and act like it's not bothering me, but I'm not fooling anyone. I _need_ her here. I need her to tell me everything will be okay and that she will always be here. I need my best friend back. But she's not here, she's not telling me that everything will okay, in fact she's not telling me _anything_. Right now, I am utterly and entirely alone and I don't know what to do. I let out a shaky breath and a single tear falls down my cheek. More tears soon follow. And for the first time, I cry myself to sleep, with the radio still playing in the background.

_Help, I have done it again  
I have been here many times before  
Hurt myself again today  
And, the worst part is there's no-one else to blame_

_Be my friend  
Hold me, wrap me up  
Unfold me  
I am small  
I'm needy  
Warm me up  
And breathe me_

_Ouch I have lost myself again  
Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,  
Yeah I think that I might break  
I've lost myself again and I feel unsafe_

_Be my friend  
Hold me, wrap me up  
Unfold me  
I am small  
I'm needy  
Warm me up  
And breathe me_

_Be my friend  
Hold me, wrap me up  
Unfold me  
I am small  
I'm needy  
Warm me up  
And breathe me_


	3. Withdrawal

**AN: Heyy. Thanks for the reviews. Getting all the emails is great, I love it! I'll probably update on the weekends because of school. Here's chapter 3, hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just DON'T.**

Red Sky

Withdrawal

**Rory**

I walk through the doors of Chilton Academy. It's the first day of junior year and I'm already in a bad mood. I feel like an addict going through withdrawal, and I probably looked like one too. My hair is a mess, my face is pale and I have dark circles under my eyes. I think the only cure for my withdrawal was seeing Jake and feeling his arms around me again. I glance towards his locker expecting him to be there, expecting him to send me a smile and help me forget all the bad things that I've dreamt about. Nope. No one. He's not there and I'm disappointed. I drop my head and slowly make my way to homeroom.

**Jake**

I toss and turn and try to get an ounce of sleep. Realizing that that was never going to happen, I climb out of bed, completely frustrated. I walk over to the mirror and have a staring contest with my reflection. My hair is a mess, my normally tan skin looks paler than normal and I have dark circles under my green eyes from the lack of sleep. I look like I'm going through withdrawal and in a way, I am. The love and comfort that I usually received from my friends and family have now been replaced by bitterness and pain.I look down at the alarm clock on the dresser. 9:03 AM. I'm late for the first day of school, but I don't care. Things just aren't the same anymore. Disappointed, I lower myself onto the edge of the bed and put my head in my hands.

**Rory**

I'm sitting alone at one of the lunch tables, glaring at the joke they call a meal. I lift my eyes and look across the table to where Jake is supposed to be sitting. I let out a sigh and lower my eyes again. Today has been awful and it's only noon. Paris has found it amusing that I'm miserable. Tristan has taken a sudden interest in becoming my friend and I'm starting to get suspicious. But the worst part, is that Jake isn't here. I haven't seen him around school and I'm starting to get worried. The bell rings, and I move to go to my next class.

**Jake**

I look down at the black notebook on my desk. This notebook has been my only release from the terrible summer that I experienced. This notebook is filled with dark and depressing thoughts and all the problems that have been going on in my life. I sit down and scribble in my next entry.

**Rory**

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1…_RING! Finally! This day is finally over, and I can't wait to get home. I've decided that today's the day I'm going to talk to Jake. I'm going to push all my fears and nightmares into the back of my mind. I'm going to talk to Jake. This thought put a smile on my face and I walked out of the school just a little happier than when I came in.

**Jake**

A picture catches my eye and I turn to grab it. It's a picture of Rory and I almost half a year ago. She was sitting between my legs and I was softly kissing the top of her head. My eyes become sad as I look at this picture, but my sadness soon turns to anger and I throw the picture across the room, causing the glass to break. Cursing, I make my way over to pick up the shards of broken glass. I stare blankly down at the picture and my shattered heart. I reach to pick of a sharp piece of the broken frame, and I sluggishly walk into the bathroom, all the while glancing at both my wrist and the piece of glass.


	4. Numb

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks, I didn't have time because of the musical at school. But now that it's over I'll have more time to write (hopefully). Anyway here's the fourth chapter. It's okay. I can see everything happening in my head perfectly, but it's hard for me to write it all down on paper. So here it is, sorry if it isn't up to expectations. Oh, and thanks for the reviews! I love them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just DON'T.**

Red Sky

Numb

**Rory**

My head is lying on the hospital bed; my hands are gripping the hand of the patient. My cheeks are stained and my eyes are red and puffy from the tears. My breathing is shaky, my clothes are a mess and my hair is dirty.

I'm so tired, but I can't fall asleep. I just keep reliving the day over and over again in my head.

_I throw open the Morgan's front door and run up the stairs two at a time, all the while balancing a cup of Luke's coffee. I'm doing my best to contain the huge smile on my face. I knock on Jake's door and call out his name. When I don't get an answer, I slowly turn the doorknob and stick my head through the door. The bed is unmade but there is no Jake in it. I step all the way through the door and my eyes dance across the room. Something on the floor catches my eye and I make my way over to the unknown object. As I draw closer, my smile starts to fade and my eyes begin to sadden. I look down at the shattered glass and the broken picture frame and bend down to grab the picture. I stare blankly at the memory and turn my head slightly to the side, for the first time noticing that the bathroom door is slightly ajar. I stand up and call out his name a few more times before lightly pushing the bathroom door open. _

_I gasp and am struck with a feeling of déjà vu. I think I'm going to get sick._

_Jake is sitting on the floor, his back facing me, with his head bent over. The tears are already streaming down my face and I take a step forward and see the shard of glass, covered in blood, lying next to him. The coffee cup falls from my hand and the scorching liquid splatters all over my shoes, but I don't feel it. My entire body just went numb. I can barely hear my own screams of terror as I take Jake into my arms. I don't remember the heavy tears that blur my vision and stain my cheeks. He's barely breathing; there's blood_ everywhere._ I manage to get my cell phone in my hands, and I have a hard time dialing three numbers. I sob uncontrollably into the phone, but somehow the 911 operator seems to understand. My entire body shakes irrepressibly. I'm becoming hysterical and it's getting difficult to breathe. _

_Jake's body is lying motionless, except for the tiny movement of his breathing. I pull his head tightly into my chest and kiss it softly, wishing that this one kiss would be all it took to heal his wounds. It wasn't. I rock us both back and forth, whispering things like 'You need to hold on,' 'I'm sorry' and 'it'll be okay'. I don't know if he can hear me, but it doesn't matter, those words weren't just for him, but for me. They were supposed to dull the pain, and the fears that I could actually lose Jake. They didn't. _

_I was so out of it that I didn't notice the people with the ambulance, until they were prying Jake out of my arms. I hesitantly let go, knowing that this was Jake's only chance of survival. The man carries him down the stairs and into the ambulance, while another cradles me in his arms and I break down completely. _

I sit frozen next to the hospital that Jake is lying in, _hoping_ that this was just another nightmare, _knowing_ that it wasn't and that Jake really hurt himself. I lift my eyes and slowly study the boy lying in the bed. He was abnormally pale. His eyes were closed because of his unconscious state and his mouth was set into a small frown. My eyes travel down to Jake's arms. His wrists are wrapped and bandaged because of the deep, numerous slits that Jake had put there.

I didn't know. I thought things were okay with him, and I know people will probably tell me different, but I know that this is my fault. I should have ignored the nightmares, or talked to Jake sooner. But it's too late, and it's _my_ fault. I pray to God that Jake will wake up, that everything will be okay.

I silently sob into the sheets of the hospital bed, and cry myself to sleep.

**Finn**

My mother called me at boarding school and told me what happened. I left immediately. I didn't bother bringing anything, not yet anyway. I cried for the first time in God knows how long, and I was glad that no one was there to see me break. The pilot informs me that we had landed, and I wipe the tears hastily from my cheeks, not willing to let anyone see me cry.

I stare out the window with sad eyes and watch the rain fall from the sky as the car is driven to the hospital. How could this have happened? I'm supposed to be the older brother; I'm supposed to take care of him. Instead I was getting drunk at boarding school.

The car pulls up to the hospital and I cautiously push open the doors. This moment was so surreal; like it wasn't really happening and that everything was going in slow-motion. I see my parents sitting in the waiting room, my dad holding my sobbing mother in his arms. He notices me and nods to the door to the right. I nod a thanks and turn to open the door. Behind this door, my brother lies in a hospital bed. I take a deep shaky breath and push the door open.

Inside, I see a girl asleep in a chair next to the bed holding on to Jake's hand as if it is the only thing keeping _her_ alive. My eyes move to my brother, and I can't breathe. It's my fault. I wasn't here when I was needed, and when I _was_ here, I didn't care. I can't handle the tightening of my chest and I can't seem to overcome the fear that I caused my brother to do this to himself.

I quickly run out of the room and out the hospital doors. I use the brick wall of the hospital to try to support myself. My breathing is harsh and my whole body is in pain. Tears heavily stream down my face and I collapse into a pile on the concrete, not caring anymore if anyone saw. My entire body just went numb.


	5. Awestruck

**AN: Heyy. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's been kind of crazy and I couldn't decide whether or not to kill Jake. My friend's dad also died last week, so I wasn't in the mood to write. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and I hope to see more. You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just don't.**

Chapter 5

Awestruck

I'm sitting next to Jake's hospital bed, my fingers lightly trailing over his handsome face as my eyes move to memorize each of his features. The rhythmic beeping sound of the machine that shows he's still breathing continues quietly in the background. Silent tears slip down my cheeks and I grasp his hand with my own. I could lose him. This could possibly be the last time I ever see him…

_As I look down at Jake, I find myself wanting to say something. "I don't even know if you can hear me," I sniffle and let out a shaky breath, "but I need you to know that, from the first moment that I saw you," I smile even though the tears continue to pool in my eyes, "I knew that no one could make me happier than you." I close my eyes, and struggle to keep my composure, "But I pulled away because I was afraid that I would lose my best friend; I was afraid that something like this would happen." A single tear falls down my cheek and I almost inaudibly whisper, "I'm so sorry."_

_As my hand glides over the side of his face, a small smile graces his features. A look of pure happiness and__ hopefulness appears on my face __as I see his gorgeous green eyes __for the first time in 3 months. _

_He gives another gentle smile, and his eyelids flutter close. The rhythmic _Beep, Beep, Beep,_ becomes one long beeping noise, and the spiked lines become flat. _Oh my God. _The doctors and nurses flood into the room and push me out of the way, leaving me standing awkwardly in the doorway of the hospital room. Panic filled and somewhat awestruck, I continue to stare as the doctors try to revive Jake's once again motionless body. One of the nurses puts the paddles to his chest. Once, twice, and then a third time only to have nothing change and still see the never-ending flat line. It was like something you would see on a TV show or in the movies but never expect it to happen in real life. This would probably be the time when the dramatic music is layed and the audience starts to cry along with the actors. The difference between then and now is that they know that everything will be okay because it's not real; only written for entertainment purposes. This however, was actually happening. As the doctor turns off the machine and calls "time of death, 3:15 PM", I fall to my knees sobbing. This couldn't be right. No! It's not fair!_

_"Miss, Miss…_

…Miss, are you okay?"

I blink. What the hell? I glance at the nurse, then to Jake, and then to the machine. Beep. Beep. Beep. I must have looked panicked, because the nurse gently laid her hand on my shoulder and looked at me with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you alright? You look like you zoned out for a few minutes."

I blink a few more times and try to get a handle on everything. "Um… I… um…," I run my fingers through my hair and take a deep breath. I carefully untangle my fingers from Jake's and slowly lift myself from the chair. "I think I'm going to go outside. Get some fresh air."

"Okay dear, come find me if you need anything." I give a small unsure smile, and reply with an, "okay, sure."

As I make my way through the halls of the hospital, I come to the realization that something like that could happen. Jake did lose a lot of blood and he hasn't woken up yet; so it is a possibility. I pray and hope that that doesn't actually happen.

Because I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I 'forgot' to watch where I was going and end up running into someone and falling on my ass. "Ouch," I groan as I move to get up. I brush the imaginary dirt off my pants and try to walk around the man I had bumped into when he spoke. In a familiar Australian accent, the boy says "I'm sorry, love," and continues to walk down the hallway towards his destination. I do a double take and stare at his retreating back, completely frozen, awestruck. He reminded me a lot of Jake. However, this boy seemed more – I don't know, it was hard to describe. _Who is this guy?_

**AN: So Jake is still alive, unconcious - but still alive.**

**Let me know how you think Finn and Rory should officially meet. It will be greatly appreciated.**

**thanks!**


	6. Trapped

**AN: Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks, I've been busy. Thanks for the reviews; they always bring a smile to my face. Anyway here's the next chapter. It's the first part of when they go to Chilton. In the second part Finn and Rory will meet – I'm not exactly sure how, but they will! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I Just Don't. **

Red Sky

Chilton Part 1:

Trapped

It's been exactly one week since Jake was rushed to the hospital. That's _seven_ days. Seven days since Jake's been conscious. Seven days since Finn flew in from boarding school. Seven days since the first day of school. Today was the day everyone, (well almost everyone), would be returning to Chilton. _Fantastic. _

**Rory**

I lay sprawled over my bed staring blankly at the ceiling, knowing that I only had a few minutes before I had to get up.

It's been a week, but it feels as if nothing's changed, like I'm stuck watching the same movie over and over again in my head. However, this movie isn't something you would enjoy watching. No, it's a horror film. The kind of movie that gives you nightmares and you wake up in the middle of the night screaming. The kind that haunts you, when you sleep, when you're awake, and when you close your eyes just for a second. I'm stuck. I'm glued to the chair watching this movie and the tears keep falling because I know that I can't do anything to change what has happened. I can't… BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The alarm clock interrupts my thoughts and I hit the snooze button. I throw the covers off myself and swing my legs over the side of the bed. I sit there for a second and take a deep breath. Somebody help me.

**Finn**

My head is throbbing and I struggle to keep my eyes closed. I wish someone would turn the _goddamn _sun off.

My bed isn't as comfortable as I remember, and I try to snuggle into the covers. However, this task was quite impossible and I slowly open one eye and realize that I am not actually on my bed. In fact, I'm not on any piece of furniture. I open the other eye and groan.

I painfully lift myself up from the bathroom floor. I see the empty tequila bottle in the sink and rub the sleep out of my eyes. Last night I drank until I couldn't remember anymore. I needed to forget that Jake did this because of me. And that I would be starting school today. I just needed to forget I was alone. I look at myself in the mirror and take a deep breath. I'm drowning and I feel as if I can't breathe for a moment.

I realize my hand is slightly shaking and force it to stop.

Today is going to suck.

**Summer**

I pull on the familiar blue plaid skirt and slip into the tight white button down. I take a seat in front of the make-up table, and stare at my reflection.

I was Jake Morgan's girlfriend, but I wasn't good enough. So as a result, I slept with as many guys as I could. I slept with them in order to feel _needed, wanted_. Even though I was his girlfriend, I was jealous of his best friend. Rory is everything I'm not. She's innocent, pure, and good. She's the one you see sitting next to Jake's hospital bed. The one crying her eyes out because of what he did.

I lean in closer to the mirror as I apply the thick layer of black liner to the eyelids of my brown eyes. And then brush the apples of my cheeks with the light pink blush.

I almost feel guilty that I'm not also crying; that I'm not begging for forgiveness.

I lightly coat the dark red lipstick onto my pouted lips.

_Almost._ I mean, the whole time we were together, all he did was bitch and moan about how Rory was avoiding him. And for a moment I reveled in the fact that I had something that Rory didn't. However, that moment passed rather quickly, when he continued to ignore the fact that_ I_ was his _girlfriend_. I moved on, he didn't

I lean back and comb my fingers through my straight brown hair. I smirk.

Yeah, I might be jealous, but I sure as hell don't feel guilty.

**Tristan**

I stretch and yawn, as I slowly rise out of bed. I sluggishly tread over to my closet and pull out the light blue long sleeved oxford. The Chilton uniform, which happens to be the same for everyone, is worn differently by each person. Mary wears it completely modest. Her skirt just hitting her knees as she walks and her shirt buttoned all the way up. Allowing oneself to imagine what is under the blue and white fabric.

I clear my throat and continue to button my own shirt and then loosely slip the striped tie around my neck.

I've decided to befriend Mary. Although, I may have "slight" feelings for her, she really needs a friend, and I have decided to give her that.

After putting on my uniform, I run my hand through my already messy hair.

Besides, Mary has made it perfectly clear that she doesn't like me. I have to show her that I'm not such an asshole when you get to know me. I want to be her friend, and hopefully establish a friendship like the one she has with Jake.

And maybe one day I'll meet someone that I can fall madly in love with, and then I'll still have Mary's friendship.

Yep. Today was going to be a good day.

**Logan, Colin, and Stephanie**

**(Told in Steph's POV)**

We're sitting in the Huntzberger's private jet on our way to Hartford, Connecticut. We came to a conclusion that Finn needs us, and convinced our parents to allow us to finish our senior year at Chilton Academy. It's been a week since school actually started, but we're going to start school tomorrow.

We want to surprise Finn, and hopefully provide all the support and alcohol he needs to get through this.

With this last thought my eyes flutter close and I hope to get at least a few more hours of sleep before the plane lands.

**Jake**

I'm trapped in a dream world and I can't get out of it. I've tried everything but I'm still trapped. I regret ever bringing that shard of glass to my wrist; if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here. But I was just so…_ heartbroken_.

Sometimes I can feel the presence of friends and family, but when I try to reach out to them, nothing happens and I'm still trapped.

I need to find a way out. I _need_ to see Rory again. Until then, I'll remain trapped in this dream world and I'll formulate a plan to make this world better than the real one.

**AN: Okay, the POVs of main characters.**

**It was fun writing Summer's, and everything else probably sounds like crap. So I'm so sorry. The last one is a little weird, but I don't care. The second part is going to be at the actual school. Thanks!**


	7. Bitter

**AN: Hey. I am so very sorry! I haven't updated in forever and a day. I starting writing this chapter and then I was busy and then I didn't feel like it and then I totally forget. I'm so sorry about the wait and the suckiness of this chapter. Here you go.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I don't. **

Red Sky

Chapter 7:

Bitter

Listening to the softly playing music from my I-pod, I make my way through the crowded halls of Chilton Academy.

_All I need is a bitter song to make me better. Much better.  
All I need to write is a bitter song to make me better. Much better._

I can see the whispers that were being exchanged, while the eyes of the whisperers burned holes in my skin. The pity. The anger. The disappointment.

_  
Mmmm Mmmm Mmm_

_Mmmmm mmmm mmmm_

I try to ignore the rest of the student population as I slowly exchange the wrong books for the right ones. Algebra II/ Trigonometry for Creative Writing. American Studies for…

_It found me to hold me, but I don't like it at all.  
Won't feed it, won't grow it, it's folded in my stomach_.

My headphones are suddenly pulled from my ears and my locker slammed shut. I stare blankly at the closed locker door, too exhausted to prepare for the upcoming confrontation. My remaining books are thrown to the ground by the intruder and my eyes shift from the locker to the floor. I then allow my gaze to move toward the intruder's shoes. Female. Her shoes, however, were not part of the Chilton uniform; instead she wore a pair of black heels. As my eyes travel up the girl's body, I see the familiar plaid skirt, only hers was 4 inches shorter than regulation. Yep, I knew exactly who this was.

"Summer," I say as I cross my arms over my chest, "you know, it's not very polite to touch another person's belongings without permission. What would Miss Manners say?"

She gives a strained smile and replies, "I don't know. What would she say to someone who caused a suicide attempt?"

My mouth drops slightly and my eyes begin to widen. "What's that suppose to mean?!"

Summer tilts her head a little to the right and chuckles, as if realizing I had no idea what she was talking about, but at the same time taking pleasure in that fact. "I think you know what I'm talking about." Her smile faded a little as she continued, "The fact that you were only thing that Jake thought about over break. He didn't leave his room for weeks. _I_ was his _girlfriend _and _you_ were the person he thought about? How wrong is that?"

I stood frozen and speechless. I glance around the hallway looking for an easy escape route, only to find the curiosity filled eyes of the student vultures surrounding us in the hallway.

"So, yeah," her voice becoming slightly louder with each word, "I'm saying Jake was depressed because of you. You're the reason he slit his wrists. It's your damn fault!"

Knowing it and actually hearing it are two completely different things. My breathing had become shallow and it felt like someone had just slapped me across the face. Hard. Therefore, I did the only that came to mind. I slapped her back.

She grabbed my shoulders and slammed my back against the lockers. But before I could lunge towards Summer and start a full-fledge fist fight, a pair of muscular arms encircled my waist to hold me back.

**Finn**

Walking out of the headmaster's office, I take a deep breath. I was given a speech about failure and then told that is okay to mourn and that he completely understands. How ironic is that?

After the meeting, the secretary handed me my schedule, locker number, and the other necessities needed to be a student here at Chilton Academy.

I step into the hallway, and look down at the small slip of paper. Locker: 315. Combination: 10 – 5 – 22.

I navigate my way through the filled hallway of Roosevelt Hall and eventually find locker 315. There's a blond boy at the locker next to mine. His hair is in every which way and he reminds me a lot of Logan. If I had to guess, he would probably be the king of this school. I throw my stuff into my new locker and glance at the blond boy to my right.

"Hey," I say as I offer Blondie my hand.

He turns to look at me and smirks. "Hey," he replies, "you new here?"

I nod slowly and stare at the inside of my locker, "Yeah, I'm a senior."

I can feel the intense gaze of the blonde boy burning holes in my skull as he replies, "Junior."

I nod again.

"You're Jake Morgan's brother, aren't you?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer. He could hear the familiar Australian accent and I could see the look he had in his eyes. So instead of giving him a yes or no, I simply give him a name, "Finn."

He shuts his locker and leans against it facing towards me, "I knew you looked familiar."

I give him a look.

"My name's Tristan, by the way."

I nod for a third time, "Nice to meet you."

I close my locker and turn to ask if he knows where I can find room 207, but find his eyes fixated on something going on down the hallway. I follow his gaze and see two very different gorgeous brunette girls. They seemed to be having some sort of argument – well actually, the one was just yelling at the other.

"_I_ was his _girlfriend _and _you_ were the person he thought about? How wrong is that?"

Tristan slowly pushes himself off his locker and shakes his head, "This is not good, NOT good." Almost hesitantly, Tristan takes a step towards the two girls.

"So, yeah, I'm saying Jake was depressed because of you. You're the reason he slit his wrists. It's your damn fault!"

That got my attention. They were talking about Jake. They were talking about my brother. Then the blue-eyed brunette slapped the brown-eyed one. Interesting.

Tristan gestured to me and I understood what he was trying to say. I followed him over to the girls.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

**Rory**

I can feel a single tear slide down my face. And I look down at the arms encircling my waist. I glance at Summer and find that she is making out with Tristan and I wonder who is holding onto me. I'm almost afraid to turn around. The boy softly whispers in my ear, "It'll be okay, love. It'll all be okay." I tense in his arms. An Australian accent. More tears spill down my face and I spin in his arms. I stare up at his face and he reminds me of Jake so much. I put my hands on his chest and lightly push him away. I hear the bell ring and then I run. I don't care if I am late for class, I don't care if anyone sees; I just want to go back to normal. It's been seven days, and it still hurts. I'm still crying. I run into the girl's bathroom and make sure it's empty. My back hits the bathroom wall and I slide down to the floor. I put my head in my lap. A few seconds later, the bathroom door slowly creaks open and the boy's head peaks through. "Hi," he says as he moves his whole body into the bathroom and closes the door. I feel him sit next to me and he leans his head back against the wall. I lift my head off my lap and try to wipe away the tears that keep falling. I glance at the familiar boy, the boy from the hallway at the hospital.

"Finn," he supplies.

"Rory," I struggle to answer.

"I'm Jake's brother."

I nod my head and the tears keep coming.

Somehow, I feel as if I already know him and he puts his arms around me. I softy lay my head on his shoulder and silently sob into his shirt.

"It's going to be okay."

Those five words seem like the only thing keeping us alive. They give us hope, even when everything around us is falling apart.

_All I need is a bitter song, to make me better. Much better.  
All I need to write is a bitter song to make me better.  
I feel better, I feel better._

**Song is Bitter Song by: Butterfly Boucher **

**I was going to write this Grey's altered quote in there but didn't have anyplace to put it.**

I feel like I'm moving in slow-motion. Like, I'm moving in slow motion and everything around me is moving so fast and I just want to go back. To when things were normal, when I wasn't poor Rory crying on the bathroom floor because her best friend cut himself. But I am, so I can't. I'm just stuck.

**Review the chapter please!**


	8. Broken

**AN: I'm so sorry this chapter sucks, but I felt really bad for not writing one in forever. Thank you for all the reviews. And there will be more Finn/Rory action coming up soon. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Red Sky

Broken

I'm sitting in the familiar chair next to the familiar hospital bed that held the familiar unconscious boy. I gently take his hand into my own and struggle to maintain my composure. There are so many things I could say, but nothing seems to be good enough. A single tear slips down my cheek and I roughly wipe it away. _Come on Rory, pull yourself together. _Deep breath, "Hi, Jake" I breathily whisper.

"I'm not really sure if you can hear me," I look down at our tangled hands, "and I'm not really sure if I deserve your forgiveness," I can feel the tears pool in the corners of my eyes, "but I need you to know, I am _so_ sorry."

_Inhale. Exhale. _

"It's all my fault." The tears start to fall.

"I was afraid. Afraid that something like this could happen," sniff, "that I could loose you."

_Beep. Beep._

"And I know that I'm being selfish," I run my fingers through my already messy curls, "but, I _need_ you."

"I need you here, with me."

I lightly trail my fingers down the side of his handsome face and softly caress his cheek.

"Do you remember that time when we were sitting under the tree in front yard and my mom took that picture of us?" I knew I wasn't going to get an answer, but I pretend he responds anyway.

"I do," a small smile appears on my face, "we were so happy."

The smile starts to fade "And I ruined everything."

The tears begin to fall again "But you promised. You promised that you would always be here. That you would never leave me!"

Sob.

"And you broke that promise," I almost inaudibly whisper.

It's getting hard to breath and even harder to look at him.

"I love you _so much_, and that's why _I need you_ to wake up." I untangle our hands and wipe the tears off my cheeks.

"I _can't_ handle you not being here. I can't handle the guilt that comes along with the blame. And I definitely can't handle the thought of you never coming back to me."

I push myself out of the chair and bend over to kiss his cheek. In his ear, I whisper "I miss you," and then turn to leave the room.

With one last look and one last shaky breath, I wave a small goodbye, as if he could actually see me do it.

Walking down the hallway of the hospital, it felt as if I was moving in slow-motion.

Everything around me blurred and all the sound died out. All I could concentrate on was my breathing and all I could think about was a bloody Jake on the bathroom floor.

If I was paying attention to the happenings going on around me, I would have noticed the panic that was going on behind me. I would have noticed Finn drop his coffee and run to Jake's room. I would have heard the screams of "Charge!" and "He's still not breathing." I would have heard the long single BEEEEEEEEP, instead of the faint repeating one. But I didn't, and I continued on my way out of the hospital.

**Please review!**


	9. Worry

AN: Alright so I am the worst person in the history of fanfiction by not writing in like forever and a day

**AN: Alright so I am the worst person in the history of fanfiction by not writing in like forever and a day. And this chapter is really short and the beginning sucks and probably doesn't make any sense. Explanation for the beginning is that the writing in italics is the memories or quotes that Jake experienced and the regular writing is what was happening in the hospital room. So I'm sure if you read it without all the middle stuff it would make more sense. The next chapter should be coming shortly but don't be mad at me if it's not I'm going to the lake for a few days this week.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. But I do have all 7 seasons on DVD.**

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"_It's all my fault."_

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"_I was afraid."_

Beep. Beep.

"_I'll miss you" _

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep….

"_Promise me that you will always be here."_

"He's coding!"

"_I promise."_

"Give me the paddles."

"_And you broke that promise."_

"Charge!"

"_Be my friend  
Hold me, wrap me up  
Unfold me  
I am small  
I'm needy  
Warm me up  
And breathe me"_

"Again!"

_The picture of us sitting under the tree in her front yard. _

"_We were so happy"_

"He's still not breathing!"

_Alone. Shattered glass. One, two, three. It was so easy._

"Charging for a third time."

_There was so much blood. I felt so cold._

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

"_I'm so sorry."_

"Come back to us Mr. Morgan!"

"_I _need_ you." _

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The nurses and doctors release sighs of relief as Jake begins to stabilize.

One of the nurses turns to door of his hospital room and realizes that his older brother had been watching the entire time. She sees the tears of sadness and relief pour down his face as he struggles to remain standing. And out of kindness and sympathy the nurse helps the other Mr. Morgan (Finn) to a chair in the waiting room where she sees him take out his cell phone to make a call, probably one of vulnerability and braveness all at the same time.

The nurse allows the boy to make the phone call in a somewhat private venue by leaving his side and moving to the nurses' station a little ways down the hall. Knowing that whoever is on the other side of this phone call will be just as emotional about the news of Jake Morgan's second almost death experience. However the boy seems to only get a few words in before tearing the phone away from his ear and almost immediately springing out of the chair, staring worriedly at the tiny cell phone screen.

**Please Review! They make me so happy. **


	10. Crash

**AN: Thank you to all of those who reviewed. They always make me smile. Here's the next chapter, and it makes things even more complicated that they already are. I don't know when the whole Rory and Finn thing will start to develop, soon I hope, I just have to figure out how to do it. ) Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing!**

Red Sky

Chapter: 10

Crash

It took me a total of 60 seconds to get to my car after leaving the hospital doors. I sprinted, which is totally against the rules, but I could no longer stand the rest of the world closing in on me in that seemingly tiny hospital hallway. Sprinting, however, only made breathing more difficult and allowed the dizziness that would soon fill my head increase. It took me two more minutes to open the car door because I couldn't keep my hand still long enough to unlock it.

Finally in the car, I stare at the reflection of my ratty hair, and red eyes and realize that I'm still in my Chilton uniform; that I still have to endure an entire year at that Hell they call Academy. That maybe I'll have to do it alone, or that eventually I'll have to move on. Either way, I'm sure it'll still be hard to breathe, still be difficult to stop myself from drowning.

"I need a shower," I say to myself hoping that somehow the hot water would make the guilt and pain disappear. I want to emerge myself in a sea of peacefulness and invincibility, and not the one of uncertainty and vulnerability that I would be sure to experience; I wish I could disintegrate the previously stated feelings that just won't seem to go away, instead of actually wanting to drown. Ironic, I know.

Glancing down at my hands that are resting on the steering wheel, I realize that I'm still slightly shaking. I decide that the reason behind the shaking isn't the obvious one of unstableness and fear, but rather one of sleep and coffee deprivation. Regardless, I turn the keys, start the car and pull out the hospital parking lot. Quickly my eyes shift to the clock near the radio and then return back to the road. It has only been five minutes since I've left the hospital hallway. _Damn_. Time seems to go by really slowly these days.

Pulling up to a traffic light, that I'm thankful is red, I close my eyes and take a deep breath as my knuckles turn white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. As my eyes slowly flutter open, my cell phone begins to ring and I stare blankly down at the small screen that reads "JAKE." I'm immediately filled with hope, knowing that there's a chance that he woke up and decided to call and tell me that he's okay himself. The corners of my mouth begin to curl upward as I pick up the phone and answer with a soft "Hey" and an "I've missed you." A slightly tormented Australian accent fills my ear and normally I would be worried about my best friend, but now there are two boys with the same soft Aussie accent and this one disappoints me greatly. The hope dissolves and as I'm about to ask Finn a million and one questions as to why he's calling me and on Jake's phone none the less, the light turns green and I begin to put more pressure on the gas pedal (for green means "go" right?). For a second I forget where I am and who I'm talking to, and just when I'm about to reply to the seemingly panicked boy, IT happens and I can no longer feel anything. Before I can even comprehend what happened, I go numb and everything around me fades to black.



So if you didn't catch it, Rory gets into a car accident and when she doesn't reply Finn becomes worried.

Review Please! They keep the inspiration alive.


	11. Disbelief

**AN: I am such a bad person. I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. I've been meaning to but haven't really gotten around to it. I've been on like four vacations. Anyway here's the next chapter is kind of the first part of this dream world sequence thing. So a lot more Jake/Rory stuff. And I'm sorry it has been really slow getting to all the rory/finn stuff and it probably won't happen for a little while. If you have ideas feel free to tell me any. Anyway, I love the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter, I kinda like it. Let me know!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. (I wish it said otherwise)**

Red Sky

Disbelief

My eyes flutter open and I'm lying in the middle of a _street_. I don't know what I'm doing here or how it happened, but I'm lying in the middle of a street, so something bad must have happened. My entire body aches for just a moment and I feel as if I've been hit by a car and maybe that's what happened. No scars. No blood. No _nothing_. As I slowly lift my body off the ground, I realize that I have no clue where I am or why I was lying in the middle of a street. Nothing really looks familiar but I'm fairly certain that this street is the same one that is front of… my eyes go from the street to the building in front of it and I find that it's not the building I thought it would be. It's still a school, but it's not my school. It's the school for these people I don't recognize. So _why _am I here?

A boy on the other side of campus catches my eye and I can't look away. He's sitting with a girl and together they make a pretty pair. They look happy and in love and for a moment I'm jealous of the pretty girl sitting next to the handsome boy in the courtyard on campus. The looks of undeniable love they share and the uncontrollable need to always be touching, but then I remember that this isn't _real_. Even if it is, the love that I see from a distance isn't possible up close. Not in reality. Not on _this_ planet. Realizing this, my eyes continue to roam the school's grounds. A group of students standing near the entrance doors captures my attention next and I can't decide if they're actual friends or just really good liars. If the blonde girl standing next to the brunette boy with his arm around the equally brunette girl is actually all smiles or if she's secretly plotting the death of the brunette girl because she's insanely in love with the brunette boy. If the dark-haired boy is actually in love with the red headed girl like he appears to be or if he's just using her for sex, popularity, intrigue. Or maybe it's her that's using him because I'm pretty sure that the smiles and the happiness that appear on these five faces can't honestly be real or true. Because I haven't seen a smile that didn't have something hiding behind it or eyes that appear to be happy on the surface and don't actually hold a lot of pain and suffering in a _very long_ time.

There's a sixth person in this group of 'friends' and I can't see his face because his back is turned my way, but there's something about him. Something _familiar_, which is strange because nothing else seems 

familiar expect this street and this boy. That has to _mean_ something, right? I slowly make my way to the group and the farther I get, the more my pace increases. I can't stop it because this boy could give me an answer as to what I'm doing here, why I don't find anyone else vaguely familiar.

The closer I get, the more I can see, and the faster I become. He's laughing and it's a laugh I haven't heard in a while but think about _every day_. His 'friends' seem to notice that I'm coming and he turns around. I launch myself into his arms and he stumbles backward because he didn't see it coming. In his arms, I feel as if I've found my place again and all the bad stuff that's happened doesn't matter anymore because I'm finally back in _his_ arms. I'm too wrapped up in the fact that _he's_ here, that I don't realize he's not really hugging me back, he's just trying to stop us from falling. And I miss the looks of complete confusion on his friends' faces.

Slowly I let go and I can't control the smile that lights up my face and finally open my eyes and come face to face with… a look of amusement and confusion? I try and ignore it, but my smile fades just a little, and I open my mouth but no words come out. I can't seem to find anything to say and I'm so surprised because I've waited for this moment for weeks. I can feel the tears begin to swell in my eyes, but I'm still faintly smiling as I blink and take a deep breath. He's looking down at me, hoping that I'll explain why I flung myself at him, why this crazy brunette girl with the big blue eyes filled with tears is holding on to him as if her life depended on it. I look back up at him and breathily say, "I missed ya, Jake." He looks surprised. He looks as if he expected me to say "I'm sorry "or "thought you were someone else" or _both_, but never expected me to say something like that, something filled with so much emotion and hope, like these four words would guarantee that everything would be okay. Instead, he gently removes my hands from his body and looks down at me with more sympathy than confusion.

"'I'm sorry, but…" for a second he looks disappointed as he somewhat shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders, "but, I… don't…_know_ you."

I slightly stumble backwards, not because I'm trying to balance myself but because I can't believe this is happening. My eyes blink wildly as I try to keep the tears at bay and try to get a good look at the boy that I 'thought' was _my_ Jake. Same messy brown hair, same sparkling green eyes, same tanned skin, same Australian accent.

" I, I… don't understand," I stutter softly, as I bow my head and lightly bite my lip for a moment. I raise my eyes and question disbelievingly, "How can you not be _him_?"

He stares at me with his mouth slightly open and tries to explain himself, like he has to defend himself to me, "I don't…"



"It _has_ to be you!" My voice grows louder, but wavers at the same time. I yell accusingly at him and he has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.

"WHY ELSE WOULD I BE HERE?!" I scream and I can feel the tears begin to slip down my cheeks.

He shakes his head and his friends glance between Jake and I. They look equally confused and sympathetic (although I'm probably sure that they think I'm pretty crazy).

Jake's eyes become filled with sadness because he's not really sure what to tell the pretty brunette girl. Does he lie and say he knows the answer when he obviously doesn't? Is he supposed to leave and ignore the almost sobbing girl? Or does he break this poor girl's heart and tell the truth? I don't know. "I don't know." His eyes lower to the floor, because it's hard to watch her face fall and the tears quicken. "I'm sorry," he's surprised when he lifts his eyes to meet her blue ones and finds so much pain and suffering etched on her face. It's difficult to continue but he does it anyway and he tells her the truth, "I don't know what you're talking about."

I harshly wipe the tears from my cheeks and take a deep shaky breath. "I don't…I'm not…" I look up at Jake hoping_, wishing_, that he would say he missed me back, that everything would be okay again. But he doesn't and I don't know what to do. "Nothing else makes sense here," I whisper softly, tuck some hair behind my ear and hug myself tightly. "I'm sorry." I nod and turn slowly to walk back towards the only other thing that seems _familiar_. The street.

Jake stares after this girl he's never seen before but feels like there's something he could do to help her, something he's forgetting. Frustrated he closes his eyes and quickly runs his fingers through his hair. Suddenly he's filled with this sense of enlightenment and clarity if only for a moment when he yells out to the sad brunette who's making her way to the street. He calls out to her and she hesitates before continuing on her way. And that's when he says it. That's when he uncontrollably tells her that it's not her fault. He doesn't know why he says it because that moment of clarity has passed. But whatever it is, he can tell it struck a chord because she abruptly stops and she's _shocked_. This boy who just claimed to not know her had just lifted a huge weight off of her shoulders. She turns to look at him and she's gaping and can't believe it, but wants to so badly. He too has a look of shock on his face. He's torn between the world he's living in and the one she is. He doesn't know why he said those four little words because he, himself, doesn't even know what they _truly_ mean. To him, they're just four words. To _her_, well, those four little words mean a hell of a lot more.

**AN: Well I hope you liked it. **_**I **_**would really like it, if you'd review. But, you know, that's just me. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've written so far, which is kinda exciting. **

**Ciao for now.**


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